His Mother's Eyes
by EK315
Summary: James Potter is desperately in love with Lily Evans, but it seems to him she can't see him through the brooding Severus Snape. Lily fights to keep her friendship with Severus intact, but will she be able to stop him from becoming a Death Eater before it's too late? Life at Hogwarts before The First Wizarding War.
1. Chapter 1

Lily Evans brushed the same stray lock of fiery red hair that always fell into her eyes behind her ear for what must have been the millionth time. It was noisy in the Hog's Head, and she forced herself to focus on the words that danced on the page of the Potions textbook opened before her.

"Another Butterbeer, miss?" a scantily-clad waitress drew Lily's attention away from her studies once more. She was beginning to wonder if Hog's Head wasn't the place to study after all.

"Yes, thank you," Lily replied as she absently slid her empty mug toward the waitress, if only to send her away. She looked out across the dive at the variety of patrons it housed - cloaked students, talking and giggling with their heads bent low; a handful of exhausted-looking professors, attempting poorly to disguise themselves to keep from being seen; various random witches and wizards, some whispering quietly, other laughing and yelling racously, evidently having had to much to drink. Shopkeepers, Lily assumed, along with the few witches and wizards that braved throngs of students to venture into Hogsmeade when school at Hogwarts was in session.

The high tinkling of the bell above the front door drew Lily's attention to a tall, lanky boy entering the pub. Bearing Slythering colors, his head was bent low, shadowing all of his pale face but the sharp crook of his nose. His long, black hair fell in tangles around his face, and he moved quickly toward a table in the darkest corner of the room. Though it seemed he was trying desperately not to be seen, Lily knew immediately who it was. It was her dear friend, Severus Snape.

The only thing that stopped Lily from calling Severus's name was the four boys who entered after him. They were, in fact, possibly Lily's least favorite students at Hogwarts - James Potter, and his band of arrogant ne'er-do-well follwers.

James entered first (he always _had _to be first, Lily noticed), followed eagerly by the dark Sirius Black, then by the shifty Peter Petigrew, and finally, a hesitant and slow-moving Remus Lupin.

"Oh Snaaape-y," James called in a low, mocking tone. "Come out, come out, wherever you are." He scanned the room as he moved slowly about, followed by his three friends. They called themselves the "Marauders" and spent most of their time bullying their fellow students. Lily watched with baited breath as Severus knelt silenty beneath a table at the back of the pub, his wand extended in front of him, ready to stop his approaching enemies.

"Don't be afraid, Snape," Sirius called from behind James as a sinister smile washed over his face. "We only want to have a little chat with you, _friend._"

"_Why aren't you doing anything?!" _Lily silently asked the teachers, who hadn't even turned around to take notice of the madness that was about to ensue.

"He's not here," Remus muttered. "Let's leave."

"Like hell he's not here!" James snapped, his eyes flashing with anger. "We just saw him slink in here! Come on!" Closer and closer they drew, and Lily was forced to watch.

"_Do something, you bat!" _she thought, this time to herself.

"Oh Severus!" she called in as strong a voice as she could muster."There you are! What are you doing under there, silly?" She cocked her head to the side and looked at him with the biggest smile she could manage. "I thought you'd never get here!" Her heart was in her throat as she became completely aware that all four of the Marauders, along with Severus and several other bystanders, were watching her with wide eyes. Slowly and shakily, Severus drew himself from underneath the table. He dusted off his cloak and gave James Potter a long look.

"Come on and sit down!" Lily called with what must have been a ridiculously huge grin. "I nearly thought you stood me up!" She kept her eyes trained on Severus as he made his way slowly toward her, and finally, sat down at the chair across from her. The Marauders followed, looking spellbound and perplexed.

"What kind of love potion have you slipped her, Snape?" James scoffed with venom. "There's no way _Lily Evans _would want you around!" With sudden anger, James grabbed Lily's steaming Butterbeer and threw it at Severus, who gasped as it splashed down his cloak.

"For the Butterbeer," James said as he dropped two sickles on the table next to Lily with a smirk.

"You're a rat, James Potter!" Lily Evans screamed as the quartet left the pub in a hurry, aware of the scene they had caused. "A disgusting, loathsome rat, and I hate you!"

"Here," she said as she handed Severus the cloth napkin beside her. "I'm so sorry, Severus."

"It's alright," he said quietly as he patted himself off. "I think you may have hurt James's pride more than he hurt mine."

Lily furrowed her brow.

"What do you mean?"

"You know James Potter is madly in love with you, don't you?" he asked as he put down the napkin and looked up at Lily, his dark eyes as intense as they always got when he was serious.

"I don't know about _in love," _Lily mumbled, lowering her eyes. She didn't like being looked at as deeply as Severus was looking at her.

"How many times did he ask you out last week?" Severus asked.

"I don't know," Lily lied with a shrug. She traced figure eights in the grainy tabletop with her index fingernail. "Twice, maybe."

"I rest my case," Severus said smugly.

Neither said anything as Lily kept her eyes locked on the tabletop, still drawing designs in the wood.

"Thank you," Severus said. "For rescuing me. Again."

"Oh my dear Severus," Lily said with a small smile as she covered his hand with her own. "You know I'd do anything for you." With that, she gathered her books, dropped two more sickles next to the two James left, and exited the pub.

"As would I," Severus mumbled to an empty chair as he toyed with the coins on the table. "More than you'll ever know."


	2. Chapter 2

"Tell me why, Remus," James asked as he paced back and forth at the foot of one of his closest friend's bed. "Why on Earth would someone like Lily Evans fall for a rat like Severus Snape?" He spat the very words "Severus Snape" as though they themselves were poisonous.

"Funny," Remus murmured as he stared at the top of his fourposter bed. "It seems like she called you the same thing this afternoon."

"Very clever Lupin," he snorted. "_Why _though? Why would she call me that? I've done nothing but be nice to her!" He glanced out the frosted window at the three-quarters moon and remembered why Remus was being so haughty.

"Maybe it's not how nice you are to her," Lupin mumbled. "Maybe it's how you treat everyone else that turns her away."

"Again, Remus?" Sirius called in his low, slow voice from where he lie, two beds down. "Must you _always _scold us like children?"

"Must you act like them?" Remus shot, without his usual passion.

"Those eyes," James continued as though neither of his friends had spoke. "Did you hear Slughorn's having a Christmas party for that Slug Club of his? I'm sure she'll go. . .she's his absolute favorite student. Do you think if I asked her, she'd take me as her guest?"

"It would be odd to ask her to take you, James," Sirius said. "Don't you think Snape would be there anyway, as in love with Potions as he is?"

"And her," Peter Petigrew piped up from Remus's other side.

"Snape!" James shouted, stopping his pacing just to kick his trunk with rage. "I bet they're out in the halls this minute, just -"

"Not according to the map," Peter whispered.

The Marauder's Map. No wonder Peter was keeping so quiet. He was lying silently under the covers, studying the four friends' greatest creation by the light of his wand. Still a work in progress, they had made the map themselves. It gave them the ability to see where almost every person inside Hogwarts was at any given time, which could be incredibly valuable (and dangerous, if fallen into the wrong hands).

"Put the map away, Peter," Sirius said slowly.

"There's no one in here but us, S-Sirius," Peter said with his usual nervous stutter. "I just thought -"

"Where is she?" James asked.

"Li-Lily Evans," Peter mumbled. "Just leaving Proffesor Slughorn's office."

"Heading where?"

"Here," Peter said. "It would seem."

Without another word to his friends, James rushed out of the boys' dormitory, down the stairs, and into the Gryffindor common room. Most of the other Gryffindors were here, or out roaming the halls, enjoying free time after dinner. James positioned himself in a comfy leather chair on the left of the main door and waited for Lily to enter. Lily was her flowing red locks. Lily with her gentle disposition. Lily with her striking emerald eyes. James was so lost in thoughts of her that he barely noticed Lily enter.

"Lily," he said, reaching out to grab her arm. He clasped her smooth, porceilan skin in his rough palm, and she let out a loud gasp.

"Potter," she spat, narrowing her eyes as she looked down at him. Hearing her say his name like a curse was like having a knife stabbed in his spine.

"Lily, please," he said, imploring her to stay. "Just listen to me."

"No," she said. "You listen to me -"

"Lily, you're being ridiculous. Please, isn't there somewhere we can talk out our differences?"

"_I'm _being ridiculous? And don't you dare cut me off, you toad! What makes you think what you have to say is so much more important than what I have to say, huh? What gave you the authority, _Mr. Potter_, to talk over me like I'm some insolent schoolgirl?!"

"Well that's exactly what you're being!" As soon as James said it, he knew it was the wrong thing to say, because Lily's lovely eyes widened to twice their size.

"_Well_!"

"Lily, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Please. All I want is to talk to you, to prove that I'm not some monster!"

"A fine job you've done. . ." she trailed off. James knew he'd won her over, because the corners of her eyes and mouth softened.

"You have twenty minutes," she said quietly.


End file.
